The 10 Most Censored Countries In The World

While freedom of the press is standard practice in the United States, most countries in the world don't get such a luxury.

According to the Freedom House via Newseum, across the world, most people live in countries considered to be only "partly free," or "not free." There are 69 countries considered to have complete freedom of the press, mostly located in the Americas and Europe.

But many countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, have severe restrictions on what journalists can, and cannot say. This causes self-censorship among journalists, preventing many important issues from being revealed to the public.

If journalists do release information the government does not approve, they run the risk of fines, jail, and in some places, even death.

Freedom House assigns every country a number from zero (best) to 100 (worst), based on the country's freedom in print, broadcast, and internet news. Each one of the following countries was assigned 89 or higher.

Iran

Censorship score: 89 out of 100

Press freedom has always been foreign to citizens of Iran, but after the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009, it got worse. At the end of 2009, Iran had more journalists in jail than anywhere in the world.

The Press Law in Iran states no one can publish any ideas that oppose Islamic principals or are detrimental to public rights.

Equatorial Guinea

Censorship score: 90 out of 100

Freedom of expression and the press, are both guaranteed but not in any way followed. Almost all coverage is strictly controlled and censored by the government and any criticism of high ranking officials is not tolerated.

Belarus

Censorship score: 92 out of 100

In Belarus, if a journalists criticizes the president, or government, it is considered a criminal offense which can result in heavy fines or jail time. A law that went into effect in 2009 forces all journalists to register with the Information Ministry. The registration process allows the government to weed out those organizations they think could violate the strict press laws.

Burma

Censorship score: 95 out of 100

There are privately owned publications in Burma but they are required to be censored by the government prior to their publication. Because of this, there are few daily publications, as most are forced to be weekly, or monthly. Journalists who insult the regime are at risk of imprisonment and assault.